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BYU basketball: Scrappy Cougars complete comeback victory over UMass

By Nathan Cunningham

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 15: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars shouts from the sidelines against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 15: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars shouts from the sidelines against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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BYU basketball struggled to score, but the Cougars scrapped and clawed their way to a hard-fought victory over the UMass Minutemen at the Barclays Center Classic.

BYU basketball yet again had a difficult time scoring, but the Cougars got gritty and scrappy to pick up a win over the UMass Minutemen, 68-66 in the Barclays Center Classic.

Elijah Bryant hit a rare 3-pointer, then followed it up with two free throws off a steal to give BYU basketball a lead with about two minutes remaining. It was part of an 11-0 run that gave the Cougars the lead for the first time since the 10:45 mark of the first half.

Tied at 66 with 13.7 seconds left, the Cougars took their final possession. Jahshire Hardnett drove to the basket, the UMass defense collapsed and the Chipola College transfer hit Yoeli Childs for the game-winning dunk.

On paper, this looked a lot like the Princeton game. It looked like a game BYU should lose.

The Cougars shot just 36 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range. They turned the ball over 11 times. They trailed by 12 a number of times. TJ Haws didn’t hit a shot (0-10).

But they kept grinding. Clawing. Scratching. Hustling.

And they came away with a victory.

Childs and Bryant led the way for the Cougars, with Hardnett putting in a solid game as well. Childs scored 19 points and posted 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Bryant scored 18 and Hardnett added 10 on 4-of-7 shooting.

It would be nice to see BYU basketball shoot more efficiently. This is now the fourth game the Cougars have gone ice cold. But it’s great to watch them win games like this – because that never would’ve happened a season ago. Hopefully this kind of game is a confidence builder moving forward.

Three things we learned

1. BYU basketball can win nasty games. Princeton was no fluke. The Cougars can win nasty, gritty games. They can shoot 36 percent and hang tough. It’d be nice to see them score more, but a win is a win.

2. Something is off with TJ Haws. Perhaps it was just fatigue, or maybe just a fluke game. But something seems off with TJ Haws. Haws scored just one point against the Minutemen and passed the ball to Jahshire Hardnett when UMass was in a late-game fouling situation. He didn’t want to be on the line. That’s not good news. Hopefully getting back to Provo gets his mojo right.

3. Jahshire Hardnett is going to keep getting better. Hardnett is going to be a key piece for the Cougars. He’s one of the few players (if not the only player) fast enough to get into the lane and get to the bucket. That sucks in defenders. Now it’s time for the Cougars to adjust to that and either hit open 3-pointers or cut to the basket.

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